Westminster College Invests More Than $6M in Improvements
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Westminster College campus has been bustling with activity this summer as crews have been relocating offices and making upgrades to academic, athletic and recreational spaces in time for the start of the fall semester Monday.
This summer’s projects – most completed and some still ongoing – represent almost $6.3 million in campus upgrades, continuing the more than $50 million invested in campus improvements since 2016.
“We continue to invest in the campus learning and living environment at Westminster so that our students and employees can have the resources and spaces needed for outstanding educational experiences,” said Westminster President Kathy Brittain Richardson. “We are grateful for the support from our donors that is making these improvements possible.”
Renovations to the Memorial Field House’s Westminster Natatorium, home of the Titan swimming and diving program, are currently underway and expected to be completed by late September. The natatorium closed in November 2023 for emergency repairs to the pool’s mechanical room. In addition to addressing those necessary repairs and replacing pumps and filters, the pool – which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025 – was also replastered, and lane lines were tiled. Lighting and the spectator viewing area are also being upgraded.
Other athletic improvements include replacement of the floorboards of the Ron Galbreath basketball court and the wooden bleachers in the Buzz Ridl Gymnasium.
There’s a new Student Success Center on the second floor of McKelvey Campus Center, which brings together the TRIO Student Support Services program, the Office of Professional Development and Community Engagement, the Office of Academic Success and the Office of Disability Resources.
The first floor of Old Main – the campus’ hallmark building – now houses the Office of the Registrar, the central office for student course scheduling and registration, transcript processing, transfer credit evaluations and more. The All-College Honors Lounge – a space for honors students to gather, socialize and study – has also relocated to the first floor of Old Main.
For students seeking Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees at Westminster, they will now be able to train in the new high-fidelity nursing simulation lab on the second floor of Hoyt Science Center. The facility features five manikins, standard medical equipment such as beds and crash carts, an observation room with recording equipment and 3D anatomy and physiology tablets. This space will also be available to local first responders for honing their lifesaving skills.
The Clarence and Mary Ann Harms Center for the Environment, located on the first floor of Hoyt Science Center, is the home of Westminster’s environmental science and environmental studies programs. The center features faculty offices, gathering areas and collaborative learning spaces for students interested in promoting sustainability and environmental stewardship.
Other improvements over the summer included:
- Installation of a permanent gas fire pit and benches outside Eichenauer Hall. The gathering space overlooks the UPMC Sports Complex’s soccer and lacrosse field.
- Expansion of the Marge Walker Center in Old 77. Used for student fitness and recreation, the center will now feature additional free weights and weight machines, as well as upgraded fitness equipment.
- Technology upgrades and addition of a showcase wall in a School of Business classroom located in Thompson-Clark Hall.
- Renovation of the Titan Club dining area with reupholstered booths, new flooring and added food service venues. Galbreath Dining will be upgraded over winter break.
The college is also replacing the steam line that runs from the central boilers in Galbreath Hall to Shaw Hall. The project is expected to be completed by mid-October.
Lab stations in the physics lab in Hoyt Science Center are also being replaced with modern stations. Work is expected to be completed in January 2025.
Pictured at top: The Old Main building on the campus of Westminster College.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
